Hunted
By Meghna Pranesh Badami
I was hunted.
Just like the witches,
Back in Massachusetts.
They pulled out their pitchforks,
Spears and lit them,
To see sparks.
My face plastered
On every wall,
Every temple.
Showed them a monster.
A painted persona,
That never really existed.
And so I watched
As they screamed and
Destroyed.
Peace in the homeland,
I was born to
Watch over.
Till flames danced
To fill all my horizons
And effigies fell
Like a long line of traitors
I watched from the shadows
In black as if mourning,
The loss of my life
As I'd known it.
But at least the bonfire
Kept me tepid.
When they flung kerosene
On figures I no longer resembled.
As I watched trembling,
Your hand held my cold palms,
To send sparks through my centers.
For a moment
My heart stopped,
But my eyes filled with
Exhilaration.
Your face was half covered,
In black cloth like mine.
Maybe destiny
Had other objectives than I.
Fires from town squares
Lit up your eyeballs.
Turning deep chocolate brown
Into tasty caramel.
I could feel my heart beat,
My palms sweat
In confusion.
You leaned in,
Hand on waist to say,
"I know places".
We ran and we ran,
To caves unexplored
By majority of men.
Till you were temple,
My palace,
My land.
And now those piazzas
Have new posters
Clinging onto
Fallen, forgotten pillars.
Only they show
Two delinquents
In a lawless heaven.
The brights of the flame
Sometimes show the old monster,
Under ripped pictures
That are now gone forgotten
Hands held tight in scandal.
Like the first day
He whisked me
Into oblivion.
By Meghna Pranesh Badami
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